Nature is nurture: a pilot study of neural correlates of healthy cognition and environmental predictors in children attending a nature-based public school

Though the physical health benefits of childhood nature exposure are well-documented, the specific mechanisms linking nature and healthy cognitive development remain underexplored. One promising tool for investigating novel biological pathways is via mobile neuroimaging techniques, such as functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), which can be collected in naturalistic settings. The current pilot study uses fNIRS, cognitive task data, and survey-based measures of well-being and environmental exposures in a sample of children attending a nature-based school at the start of the academic year, and tests the feasibility of collecting fNIRS-based metrics of healthy neurocognition in situ. Fifteen children between the ages of 8 and 13 participated in the fNIRS sessions, and activation in the prefrontal cortex was successfully demonstrated during a 1-back working memory task for older children, but not younger children, who struggled to do the task. Importantly, the study enabled the measurement of a novel brain-based biomarker of healthy cognition (the Hurst exponent, H). In line with prior research showing that H is associated with better psychological well-being, we found that higher H was indeed correlated with lower psychological stress and better performance on a cognitive flexibility task. Additionally, H was higher for those who engaged in more physical activity and with more neighborhood greenspace access, highlighting a potential novel mechanism linking nature exposure, exercise, and psychological well-being in childhood.